Residents press council for stronger guardrails on data centers

A large and often emotional public‑comment period focused on draft changes to county code for data‑center siting and operations, with speakers from neighborhoods, environmental groups and building trades voicing sharply different priorities.

Residents near proposed facilities described health and quality‑of‑life concerns: "Do you want your child or your grandchild to live 500 feet from these insidious cumulative particles?" asked Peggy Schultz of the League of Women Voters, citing particulate emissions from diesel generator testing. Sierra Club Delaware argued backup generation and water use need stronger local controls; the group urged the council to set stricter on‑site backup generation standards and to coordinate with DNREC and utilities on well use and closed‑loop cooling.

Union leaders and construction trades representatives urged the council to preserve a pathway for jobs. Chris Munce of Plumbers and Pipefitters Local 74 said construction alone could generate hundreds of millions in payroll and state income taxes, and stressed the need to evaluate economic benefits alongside environmental risks. Several speakers asked the council either for a moratorium to study infrastructure impacts (grid, water, emergency services) or for immediate guardrails to protect nearby residents.

Council members told speakers they heard the concerns and that the compromise adopted on the floor was intended to balance stability for applicants, predictability for developers and protections for residents; several members and staff committed to continued interagency coordination and possible future refinements.

The comment period ran for more than an hour and featured both prepared remarks and emotional testimony from long‑time residents of affected neighborhoods.